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Izabella Effenberg

Germany Nuernberg
Main specialization: Vibraphone / Array Mbira / Glasharp Marimba, Steeldrum, Sundrum and more
Graduated
Music Academy Gdansk Music Academy Nuernberg
Native language: polish Other languages: german, english, spanish
Izabella Effenberg
Izabella Effenberg

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Children: Yes

Studied classical music in Poland and Jazz Mallets Bachelor and Master at the Music Academy in Nürnberg.

Izabella is one of very few female Jazz vibrafonists in Europe and the first from Poland. At the moment she plays some very rare instruments such as the glass harp, array mbira, steeldrum, sundrum, waterphone and more..but she is always finding new instruments to add to her list and extend the interesting effects of her music.

During her studies in Poland and Germany she received various scholarships und won several prices in competitions both for perfomance and composition. Her Cd "IZA" was awarded 3rd place at the 38th Annual Jazzstation Awards 2016. Above all she was awarded the cultural prize of the city of Nürnberg in 2018 and prize of the region of  Mittelfranken 2020. She also won the virtuell competition Woman in Jazz Next Generation 2020(Halle/Saale).

She was supported by the Goethe Institut for the Summer Session in Denmark for professional musicians 2020 and was awarded the Musikfonds Scholarship 2020. She was also supported in 2021 by the Goethe Institut for project Resonance Connection (virtual partner residencies)

She has played with different well known musicians such as Tony Lakatos, Leszek Zadlo, Nippy Noya, Jan Lundgren, Nicole Johänntgen, Magnus Öström, Steffen Schorn, Efrat Alony, Quadro Nuevo, Triosence, Lars Danielsson, Nils Landgren, Marc Mondesir, Katja Riemann, Vladislav Sendecki, Andrzej Olejniczak, to name a few.

Her debut CD „Cuéntame“ was recorded by Bavarian Radio and supported by the cultural department of the city of Nuremberg. On this CD she is accompanied by topclass German musicians and the well known singer Efrat Alony from Israel.

In 2014 she founded a annual Vibraphon festival in the Metropolregion Nürnberg in order to introduce her instrument to a wider public.

She presents the very rare instrument Array Mbira on her latest CD "Crystal silence - Music for Array Mbira". The array is a hand - crafted modern instrument with a unique harp- or bell - like sound made by Bill Wesley and Patrick Hadley.

Izabella also plays a glass harp (angelic organ, singing glasses) made by Glass Instrument Maker G2. This very interesting instrument made of specially handmade, tuned wine glasses is played by running the fingers around the rim of the glasses.

Since 2021 Izabella is YAMAHA Artist.

Izabella was also 8x Polish Shotokan Karate Master and won a silver medal at the European Champianship in 1999.

 

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